Part 45

Ichabod was in the hospital for a day and a half, and Angela and Steven used that time to plan out what needed to be done. Seeing as Ichabod would now be a permanent resident within the household, several things had to be considered.

The first thing they tackled was getting Ichabod his own room to sleep in. It was all fine and good for him to stay with them, had his stay been temporary, but the idea of a grown man sleeping next to their bed permanently wasn't fair to anyone involved. Nor was it really healthy for Ichabod to continue doing that. He had to learn to be on his own to an extent.

It seemed a fair compromise to move out Angela's exercise equipment from the room next to their bedroom to the basement, and to let Ichabod sleep in there. It took a few days, as well as the help of a few of Steven and Angie's friends, but they managed to get the place cleaned and painted, and a new bedframe and set of furniture moved in.

Since the room was literally right next door to Angie and Steven's room, they figured Ichabod could easily get to them if there was a problem.

The next two issues that had to be tackled where getting Ichabod set up with some sort of proof of identity, and also, what to do with him when September came and Angela had to go back to work.

The latter problem was actually the easiest to figure out. Ichabod seemed to enjoy learning, and obviously had an interest in forensics. And, since he was slowly getting better physically and mentally, he could probably handle being out during the day.

That in mind, Steven and Angela discussed with Ichabod the possibility of enrolling in classes at the local community college. They were inexpensive, and he could work towards getting a degree in Forensic Science, or Criminal Justice, or really whatever he was interested in. Ichabod seemed excited at the idea, so Angela picked up a brochure of the classes offered, and helped him through the enrollment process.

A form of ID, which was necessary before he could register at the college, was harder to get. For that, Angela had to contact some of the less savory members of her family; those who had connections to various members of underground "organizations." It cost a little over a thousand dollars, but eventually, Angela's family's contacts came through, and Ichabod had a brand new social security card and even a state ID.

Summer came to a close faster than usual, and Ichabod was scheduled to begin his first classes very early in September. He'd chosen to take some basic courses; Algebra 101, English 101, History 101, Biology 101, and an introductory Psychology class. Taking fifteen credits meant that Ichabod was at school four days a week, about six or seven hours per day.

Another part of getting him to be more independent was the method chosen for getting him to class. Instead of Angela or Steven dropping him off and picking him up, they'd found a bus route that picked up a block from their house, and went right to the college, with only a few stops in between. Ichabod had been less keen on the prospect of taking the bus, by himself, to school, so prior to the beginning of the semester, Angela took a ride with him on it, so that he could get a feel for what public transportation was like, and the route that would be followed.

The last thing they did was get Ichabod a cell phone, so he could call them if he missed the bus, or was sick, or had any problems in general. They got him a cheap plan with about two hundred minutes on it, programmed their phone numbers, and hoped for the best.

Part 46

The first day of classes was a Wednesday, and Ichabod had Algebra and Psychology lined up for that day. Algebra started at 10am, and Psychology began at two. He could use the time in between to study in the library, or explore the campus.

Angela checked Ichabod over before he left that morning. He looked very handsome, wearing his dark blue jeans, a black and red button down short sleeved shirt, and black sneakers. He had one of Steven's old Jansport backpacks strapped over his shoulder. His hair was combed out, too.

"You look great," Angela said, smiling at him, "All of the girls in your classes are going to fall for you."

Ichabod blushed, "I doubt that."

"You're too hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll have a bunch of ladies after you. Just be nice, and try to make friends. Remember that most of the students will be a bit younger than you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to them."

"Okay," Ichabod replied.

"Do you have everything? Your cell phone? Bus pass? House key? Oh, here," Angela said, pulling a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket, "In case you want to buy yourself some coffee or lunch."

"I have it all, don't worry," Ichabod answered, "pulling out his phone and bus pass to show her. He took the money as well.

"Okay, okay, sorry to fuss over you. I'm just excited for you. I loved going to school there, so it's sort of a throwback for me. You'd better get going; the bus will be there in twenty minutes. Call me if you need anything!"

Ichabod smiled at her, and leaned in so Angela could give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he said, walking towards the door.

Part 47

The bus ride went fairly well, and Ichabod ended up on campus about thirty minutes before Algebra started. To kill some time, he wandered over to the Dunkin Donuts for some coffee. The place was filled with other students, many, as Angela had said, that were younger than him. No one seemed to really give him a second look, though.

After he got his coffee, he watched some students perform a human chess game in the student center, before heading over to the classroom.

Algebra had gone okay. The professor seemed to be a bit strict, and had jumped right into the first lesson, not taking any time for introductions. Ichabod had sat off to the right side of the classroom, closer to the front, and tried to follow along as best he could. Math had never been a strong point for him, and given that his formal education was essentially equivalent to that of a fifth grader in this time, he had a bit of trouble.

Ichabod sighed as he wrote down the homework for that night, trying to ignore the two kids next to him who were talking extremely loudly as everyone packed up. He hoped that Steven might be able to help him with his work. The man obviously had to be good at math to have become a physicist.

After class, Ichabod went to get another cup of coffee, this time choosing to enjoy it outside. The campus itself was quite beautiful, with large lawns surrounding it. There was a small lot off to the side where numerous students were hanging out, so Ichabod went to go join them.

As he got closer, he realized that he was in the middle of a designated smoking area. Everyone there was smoking cigarettes and talking. The smoke bothered him a little, but he decided to stay anyway. He was staring into space, drinking his coffee, when he heard avoice.

"Hey, man," another student asked. The guy looked a little younger than Ichabod, and was wearing a black Anthrax shirt and torn up jeans. He had long dark hair, like Ichabod's, and pale skin as well, though the boy was a little chubbier and had a rounder face.

"I'm sorry?" Ichabod asked, unsure if the guy was talking to him.

"Yeah, hey, aren't you in my Algebra class?" the student asked.

Ichabod studied him for a second, before realizing that he had indeed seen the guy earlier that day.

"Yes, I believe so," Ichabod answered.

"Man, Professor Nargiello is tough, isn't he? I'm Brian, by the way," he said, holding out his hand.

"Ichabod," the constable replied, shaking Brian's hand weakly, "And yes, he seems to be very strict."

"Ichabod's an interesting name," Brian quipped, "What kinda name is it?"

Ichabod stared at Brian for a second, trying to see if the boy was being rude, or actually serious. When Brian didn't smile or laugh, he decided that he wasn't playing around.

"Its...er, biblical," Ichabod replied, softly.

"Ohh," Brian said, "Are you real religious?"

Ichabod snorted, trying not to laugh at the question. "Not in the least."

Brian smiled, "Oh, cool, me too. I was raised Catholic but got tired of that bulshit when I was in high school. I consider myself and atheist now."

Ichabod nodded, "I can understand that."

There was a short silence, during which Brian took out a cigarette and lit up. "So what major are you?" he asked, as he exhaled.

"Undecided... I would like to use my credits to earn a degree in Criminal Justice. Or Forensics, maybe," Ichabod said, trying not to cough.

Brian noticed the other man's discomfort and began blowing the smoke away from them, intentionally. "Nice."

"And you?" Ichabod questioned.

"Oh, I'm doing Art. Animation. But I have to take math as a pre-req to get the degree."

"That sounds interesting," Ichabod said, sincerely. He hadn't known many artists in his life.

"Yeah, it's neat. I've always loved to draw so it was either animation or be a tattoo artist, and I just don't think I can handle the pressure of that," Brian exhaled again, and put out his cigarette. "I've got to go Chemistry. I'll see you on Friday morning?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

Brian smiled, "Nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Ichabod said, "Have a good day."

Ichabod walked to his next class, feeling very happy about finally making a friend.

Part 48

"So how was school today?" Angela asked, as she prepared dinner that evening. Steven, who was playing video games, turned his attention to Ichabod as the man began to speak.

"It was alright," he replied, quietly, "Math class is a bit difficult. Psychology was good, though. The teacher is young and very friendly, and she seems to enjoy the subject very much."

Angela smiled, "That's good. I'm sure Steven can help you with math if you need it, right?"

Steven nodded, "Sure."

"And I met a new friend today," Ichabod continued.

"Oh yeah? What's their name?" Angela pressed.

"Brian. He's in my math class."

"That's great!", Angela said. She was truly glad that Ichabod had met someone else to talk to. "What's he like?"

"Well... I think he's younger than me. And he has long black hair, and pale skin, and he had a shirt that said 'Anthrax' on it. He's an Art student, focusing on Animation."

"Wow, sounds like an interesting person," Angela replied, "You should bring him by sometime."

Ichabod smiled softly, "Yes, maybe. I think I need to get to know him better."

Angela nodded, "Of course. I meant, when you feel comfortable doing so. Dinner's ready, by the way." She began placing plates of pasta and meatballs on the table. Steven came into the kitchen shortly thereafter, and they had a nice, normal dinner.

Part 49

Thursday's classes were English, History, and Biology.

Biology was the first class of the day, and Ichabod found it extremely interesting, though a bit slow paced for him. It was something he had an aptitude for, and he craved more in depth knowledge about the subject, so having to wait for the rest of the class to catch up was frustrating. But, he supposed he'd just have to cope with it.

English was taught by a rather old professor who seemed like she'd probably been teaching the subject since Ichabod's original time. She wrote at an insanely slow pace, and tended to mumble under her breath. Ichabod found it hard to pay attention to her, so he read the text book instead. As he was turning the pages, a girl to the left of him caught his eye.

She was pale, and thin, with long red frizzy hair, freckles, and glasses. She wore several black and blue plastic bracelets on her arms, and had on a tight black tshirt with a cartoon character on it. Ichabod recognized it as being Invader Zim, as Steven often watched that show at home. Her pants, on the other hand, were bright red and black flannel patterned, with zippers going in random directions. Instead of sitting like the other students, with her feet on the ground, she sat cross legged on the chair. Ichabod thought that she looked... interesting.

Obviously, the girl was not paying attention to the professor. Instead she was busy doodling in her notebook drawing dragons and fairies, it looked like.

The girl must've felt that she was being stared at, because she soon turned to face Ichabod. Immediately, he felt nervous, but calmed a bit when she flashed him a small smile.

To avoid being rude, Ichabod returned his attention to his text book. A few minutes later, though, and he felt someone tap his leg. He looked over to see the girl holding out a small piece of paper to him.

He looked at the girl, and then looked at the paper, then back at the girl, before deciding to take it.

Carefully, he unfolded it, finding it to be a note.

"My name is Jane," was all it said.

He smirked, and began to write back. "Hello Jane. My name is Ichabod. Before you ask, it's a name from the bible."

He quietly handed her back the note, and watched as she silently laughed after reading it. Unsure of whether she was thinking poorly of him, perhaps because of his name, he blushed, and tried to keep his gaze on his book. Hopefully if he didn't look over again, she would just leave him alone.

A minute later, and the note was back on his desk.

"That's a cool name. I've never heard it. This class is boring. Where are you from?"

Ichabod half smiled, and began to again reply. "Yes, it is. I live in Corona, Queens. And you?"

"Floral Park. You're cute. Would you like to get coffee after class?"

Ichabod nodded to himself as he read the request. He considered it for a moment… He'd never actually been out on a date with a woman before. Was getting coffee after class even considered a date?, he wondered. And in his time, men were expected to be the ones to take the lead… obviously things had changed a bit. But… this was a new life, a chance to do things differently. And besides, he could always drop the class they shared if it went badly, right?

Pushing down any nervousness he felt, Ichabod swallowed before writing back, "I'd like that".

Jane took the note, smiled to herself, and put it down.

Part 50

Jane waited for Ichabod directly outside the classroom, and together they walked to the Dunkin Donuts. It was packed, as per usual, but Ichabod didn't mind. It gave him a chance to get to know the girl with him.

Jane, like Brian, was also an art major, but was focused more on Fine Arts. She was also minoring in Creative Writing. They were discussing one of the episodes of Invader Zim when Jane noticed a friend of hers, and waved them over. It turned out to be none other than Brian.

"Hey, Janie," the gothic boy said, giving her a side hug. He smiled and nodded in Ichabod's direction as a way of greeting him.

"You know each other?" Ichabod asked, somewhat surprised.

Jane nodded, "Yeah, Brian lives in the same building as me, right down the hall. And we have a few classes together."

"I see. Small world," Ichabod noted.

The three chatted for a while, waiting to get their coffee, and then went outside to the smoking area so that Brian and Jan could light up.

"So how old are you?" Brian asked Ichabod, taking a drag of his cigarette, "You seem a little older than most of the kids here. Are you changing careers or something?"

Ichabod blushed, being a little embarrassed at his age difference being pointed out. "I'm twenty nine," he stated. "It's my first time in school actually."

Both Jane and Brian nodded, and Jane spoke up, "So what'd you do before?"

"I, uhm," Ichabod started, trying to come up with a feasible excuse, "I worked for the, uh, police department. Doing paperwork. I wanted to advance in my field, so I'm here."

"Ah, okay," Jane said, taking another pull, "That's fair."

"You both seem to be a bit younger than me," Ichabod said, again feeling slightly embarrassed.

Brian shrugged, "Eh, I'm 21. Jane here's… how old are you?" he asked, turning to the redhead.

"Nineteen."

Brian smiled, turned to Ichabod and winked, "At least she's legal, eh?".

Jane punched him softly in the stomach after that, for 'being a jackass', and Ichabod just stared, sort of unsure of what to make of the comment. When he saw Jane and Brian laughing he decided it was probably a joke so he smiled. The whole conversation felt awkward; he wondered if the other two noticed it as well. He wasn't particularly good in social situations.

If they did notice, neither Brian nor Jane said anything about it. They ended up having to leave soon, anyway. Brian had to go to work, Jane to a sculpture class, and Ichabod had history that afternoon. They did manage to exchange numbers, though, and agreed to meet up the following week.

Part 51

For the next few weeks, the three would meet up after Math or English classes to smoke or talk. During that time, Ichabod had learned a lot about both of his new friends. Brian, for instance, was originally from Oregon, but had moved to New York to start a career as an artist. When it didn't work out doing freelance work, he decided to get a degree in Animation. He and his younger brother shared an apartment.

Jane had grown up in New Jersey, but moved to Queens when she was seventeen to get away from her "crazy, abusive parents", as she said. Prior to living where she was, she'd wandered aimlessly through the city, sleeping in parks, homeless shelters, and in one of her friend's cars. Eventually she'd managed to get a job off the books, and saved enough money to put down on the small studio apartment she now lived in.

Besides being a full time student, Jane supported herself by working as a waitress, and at a local comic book store on weekends. She seemed to read a lot, too, and was a very good artist. She'd shown Ichabod some of her drawings of dragons, gnomes and other mythical creatures, and he'd been instantly impressed.

The more Ichabod got to know Jane, the more he found her attractive. She was kind of a geeky girl, but she was sweet and funny and interesting, besides being independent, driven, and intelligent. Seeing her gave him a weird nervous feeling that was both bad and good. It almost felt like he just HAD to be near her. Wanted to be near her. Wanted to do things for her, to make her happy. Wanted to kiss her and touch her forever. Really, it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Even his feelings for Katrina were nothing compared to this.

Jane seemed to like him too. Ichabod wasn't 100% sure on it, but she often gave him hugs when she saw him or a kiss on the cheek. She seemed overall happy to be around him. Each time he saw her, he tried to work up the courage to ask her out on a real date. And each time he tried, he got too nervous to do so.

Finally, Jane took the first step once again.

"Sooo," she started, during one of their coffee breaks, "I was wondering if you wanted to do something Friday night?"

Ichabod stared at her for a minute, shocked at what she'd just asked. When he was finally sure that he could speak coherently, he opened his mouth. "Like… going out…?" he asked awkwardly.

Jane laughed, "Yeah, sorta like that, I guess. I mean, if you want to. You don't have to; obviously…I'd understand if you weren't interested…"

"Huh?" Ichabod said, snapping out of his daze, "Of course I'm interested! I mean. Yes, I'd like that." He blushed.

Jane smiled, and cupped his face with her hand, "You're so cute when you do that. There's no need to be nervous, though. I promise, I won't bite unless you want me to." She winked at him after that.

Ichabod's jaw dropped. "I'dlikethat!" he spat out, before he could stop himself, "I mean. Er. Yeah." He cast his gazed to the ground, embarrassed.

Jane smiled even bigger, "Like I said, so cute! I have to go to class now. Do you want to go to your place, Friday?"

Ichabod frowned. He still hadn't really gotten around to explaining his whole living situation. Or that he didn't work. Or that he had anxiety problems and needed meds. Or anything really about himself other than that he was 29 and wanted to be a Forensic Scientist.

Jane noticed the look on his face, and quickly spoke up. "Orrrrr, you can come by my place. It's kinda small, though."

"Your place would be better," Ichabod answered, "If that's okay."

"Sure," Jane nodded. Give me a call when you're out of class Friday. I don't have work that day. We can go back to my place after school."

"Alright."

"See you later!"

Ichabod nodded, smiling at Jane as she left.

A/N: I sorta picture Brian as looking like Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. But younger. And I know it says not romance…. Well we will just see how this plays out with Jane and all that.